Monique Gray, Founder of Momentum Cider, talks about her journey as an African-American woman in the industry, her passion for cider, and her goal to open the first black woman-owned cidery in California. She emphasizes the significance of networking and making connections in the cider industry, shares her experience judging ciders, discusses misconceptions and optimism about the cider industry, and explores the importance of support, self-care, and finding joy in making and drinking cider.

At what point do creative pursuits become exercises in futility? When does the lack of success become failure, and when does it serve as a reminder in the value of pursuing a breakthrough? How can we look to the Earth as a guide towards unpredictability—and what does beer have to do with any of this? In his piece titled “From the Pores of Earth—The Impractical Alchemy of Stone Fermentation,” a story published as part of our Mother of Invention series in collaboration with Guinness, writer Jerard Fagerberg explores the short-lived trend of stone fermentation. He speaks with several brewers who participate in the obscure and wildly labor intensive practice to find out not only how, but why they pursue an ancient method in contemporary times. In our conversation, you’ll hear even more about when and why he pursued this story—not just to shine a light on a relatively odd way of brewing, but his journey through the story and whether or not his curiosity was ultimately satisfied through the process.  Humans don’t tend to spend a lot of time exploring minerality as a flavor. But those who do remain very passionate about it, and at the very least, it’s a sensation worth being aware of. The Earth gives us a lot to be thankful for, and I, for one, am grateful for the chance to understand her, even just a little bit more. Let’s hear from Jerard, right now.   

It's easy to get lost in the world of craft beer. I liken it to falling in love with someone. For years, craft beer was the only thing I could think of, but eventually I came up for air and realized there’s a world of wine and spirits out there. But instead of diving into the history or stories behind my favorite bottles, I find myself fascinated by the influencers, tastemakers, and educators in the beverage space. One of those people is Cha McCoy, a sommelier, public speaker, and beverage programmer. Cha first crossed my radar in 2021 via email for a social media campaign she was working on for Cherry Bombe Magazine where she served as the publication's first beverage director and editor. To my surprise, I ran into Cha a year later at the Charleston Wine + Food Festival, where she served as the event’s beverage director. Since then, I have followed her career and the incredible moves she’s made with interest and adoration.  Along with consulting for a list of prestigious clients like the James Beard Foundation, Cha last year opened The Communion, a wine and spirit shop in Syracuse, NY. The brick-and-mortar location feeds into her mission to make wine more accessible by connecting local vineyards with people who are often excluded from the conversation. Before opening the shop, Cha traveled the world hosting wine dinners, and that’s only a small portion of Cha’s accomplishments.  In our conversation, I wanted to understand what makes Cha the powerhouse she is. You'll hear how she's driven by her love of teaching others, and how moving to Italy and experiencing the “la dolce vita” or “the sweet life” gave her the space to figure out what she loved. She also talks about how an engineering degree still applies to her career in wine. While the wine world is different from craft beer, you'll notice some similarities between the two as you listen to our conversation.

Once upon a time, supporting independent makers in food and drink was paramount for conscientious consumers. To these shoppers, a common goal was to avoid anything with a whiff of global corporate ownership. But today, the goal posts have shifted in a slightly different direction, with customers often focusing on aspects like seasonality, sustainability, and staying as close as possible to the source.  This emphasis on hyper localism isn’t quite as one-dimensional as it seems, or so says writer and academic Dr. Anna Sulan Masing. In a story for Good Beer Hunting titled, “People, Place, and Produce — How Agriculture, Secondary Ingredients, and Trade Routes Define Spirits’ Identities,” Masing looks at the tangible and historical influences on spirits and explains how certain ideas of what a spirit is today can often leave out where it actually comes from. She encourages readers to look to our past to understand our future, and how time, space, and travel all inform the products we consume, regardless of how local we think they are.  In this episode, we discuss the power and danger of wielding the idea of “authenticity,” and what the term even means in the first place. You’ll hear how it took years for her to piece together the threads of an idea to report this story, as well as the challenges—and surprises—she faced throughout her research. We’ll talk about how history and heritage informs innovation and how those ideas of authenticity can be an ever-evolving concept, shifting from one person to the next. Even if you don’t fancy yourself a beverage historian, none of us can escape the local or global systems that nourish us. So let’s explore them, head on, and as a collective group.  

We’ve all heard the stories of homebrewers following their passion into professional brewing. There’s an engineer or a lawyer who homebrewed for years and after lots of encouragement, decided it was time to give it a go. But how many Wall Street investment bankers turn down lucrative salaries to open a brewery? There’s at least one in San Diego, and it’s Doug Constantiner from Societe Brewing Company. Doug is one of those people that is accomplished and humble, always ready with a smile, a pint, and a listening ear. Being a part of the San Diego craft beer community is to be a part of a world-class industry, and sometimes egos or ambition can sour the experience. That’s not what you’ll hear today. Instead, Doug describes the steps he and the other leaders at Societe take to keep their mission simple: treat others how you’d like to be treated, and focus on the beer. Of course, it’s never just beer. We also talk about how he tries to lead by quiet example by building bridges and open lines of communication that he believes may be a key to improving the world. Later on, we’ll discuss the split Societe faced when co-founder Travis Smith left the company in 2019, and how that difficult separation changed the future of the brewery just before the pandemic changed the world’s entire way of life. There have been ups and downs, highs and lows, but some things remain the same: Doug’s commitment to quality in beer, joy in life, acceptance of people, and love of family. Let’s hear from the banker turned brewer, right now.

People in the beer industry often tout the aspiration of using the drink as a way to “build community.” What they typically mean is that interacting over a beer is meant to be some kind of equalizer, allowing humans to connect in a better way. In this episode we meet someone who has taken this idea to heart, acting as one of the most prominent community builders in the Arizona beer scene for several years. Ayla Kapahi is the director of brewing operations for Tuscon’s Borderlands Brewing, but is so much more. She’s started professional development organizations, including co-founding the Southern Arizona chapter of the Pink Boots Society, which focuses on developing talent and skills among women and non-binary individuals. Ayla also helped launch Las Hermanas, an annual collaboration beer made with female brewers from both sides of the U.S./Mexico border. On the brewing side of things, she’s focused on using ingredients and flavor experiences unique to the Southwest as a way to give Borderlands beer a truer sense of home. All these effomjmjrts are part of an ongoing desire to connect people. And as you’ll hear from Ayla, while she’s had a hard time defining what success means for her career so far, it’s these examples that help her stop and realize the impact she’s able to have, relationships she’s created, and how much more she can do in the future. We all work to find the “why” in our lives—what drives us and inspires us—and you’re about to learn how finding a career in beer helped Ayla find hers, and is encouraging others to do the same.

We’ve all set professional goals at one point or another, even if it’s just thinking back to the time as a kid you wanted to be an astronaut or athlete or president of the United States. For us adults, some of that imaginative whimsy fades once we actually start our working lives, but the desire to find something special isn’t ever fully lost. In this episode, we’re going to talk hopes and dreams, and how for one brewer, a drive to learn also meant opportunities to excel. Dashawn Agbonze is head brewer at Florida’s Mastry’s Brewing and despite more than a decade of experience in the industry, never received formal education to pair with years of training. That’s changing as a recipient of the Sir Geoff Palmer Scholarship Award for Brewing from the Michael James Jackson Foundation for Brewing & Distilling, which has him back in the classroom to enhance his brewing knowledge as he continues to hone his craft. Throughout our conversation, Dashawn will describe what led him to this moment, which started in a dishpit at a brewpub and took him across the country in search of new experiences that would get him brewing and also some awards along the way. With discipline from time in the Navy, Dashawn is focused on fine tuning his skills and—above all—keep learning. This is a chance for you to hear the personal history of what it takes to chase a dream and find it, but never settle with the knowledge you have.

When it comes to alcohol in Tennessee, whiskey is king. But craft beer is slowly starting to become part of the state’s identity, and in Chattanooga, the brewing scene is finally coming into its own. In his first piece for Good Beer Hunting, writer Drew Pitt, a Chattanooga transplant by way of Los Angeles, explores the history, legacy, and challenges beer has faced in the city and gives us a glimpse towards the future.  Drew’s piece, titled “Rebirth and Reinvention — As Chattanooga Grows and Changes, Local Beer Follows Along,” started as an idea for our Gas Station Week series, but eventually transformed into an insider’s look at a new and exciting brewing scene in southern Tennessee. We talk about how Tennessee isn’t exactly positioning itself as a welcoming state for people, especially the queer community, but why he believes Chattanooga can act as a beacon of acceptance, using beer as a conduit for connection. Bars and breweries have often been historically safe spaces for people oppressed by intolerance, and Drew hopes his home continues to innovate and include everyone who crosses into the state.   

I have a confession. I have a vested interest in getting people excited about cider through beer. I even wrote a book about it called “The Beer Lover’s Guide to Cider,” which comes out in September and aims to translate existing beer knowledge and appreciation as a way to inspire readers to explore a new-to-you beverage in cider. Luckily, I’m not the only one with this mission, and today, you’ll hear from two others who are also on this journey.  Benny Farber and Chelsey Rosetter opened Benny Boy Brewing in 2022 as Los Angeles’ first brewery-slash-cider house, tank bar, and beer garden in the Lincoln Heights neighborhood. Their goal was—and still is—bringing people in with promises of craft beer, but having them leave with eyes opened to the wonders of cider. As a longtime homebrewer and cider maker, Benny knew that by uniting the two beverages in one space, he’d be able to introduce guests to the drinks that have inspired him and allow him to pass that passion along to others. Using Old World methods and a New World vibe, they’ve done well for themselves over their first year, but continue to have their sights set on building a bigger, better world for both cider and beer.  In this episode, I talk with Benny and Chelsey about how two Midwest kids ended up in the City of Angels as partners in life and business. They walk me through a day in the life for each of them and what they do when they feel stretched too thin, which, as entrepreneurs with lofty goals, can happen a lot. You’ll hear about what it was like to raise money to launch their business—including how long it took—and what they think people with big dreams should know about building a legacy, including the difference between confidence and cockiness, and the importance of finding trusted supporters to guide you in the right direction.  

The past year has been a hard one for most beer categories. With the exception of imports—particularly those from Mexico—volume growth hasn’t been easy to come by. That’s led companies to release new brands and packaging formats, but there are only so many ways a brewery can find new avenues to sell more beer. So, in recent months, you may have noticed another tactic: rebates. Offering money back isn’t new in beer. The largest companies have provided rebates when shoppers buy large packs of Bud Light, Miller Lite, or Coors Light for years, but some craft breweries are exploring this space as a means to boost sales that have otherwise slumped. Which begs the question: How does all this work? Along with Kate Bernot, Good Beer Hunting’s Sightlines reporter, we’re going to explore what’s going on in beer and why rebates can be an attractive option for breweries. As you’ll come to learn, it’s not just about selling more beer, but also finding a way to get your personal information, which can be priceless.